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Summer trade market opens for Simon Nemec as Devils seek young top-six forward return
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pierre LeBrun just made Simon Nemec, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New Jersey Devils offseason pressure collide.
LeBrun's report matters because Simon Nemec is not a filler. He is 22, he went No. 2 overall in 2022, and New Jersey drafted him to become a core right-shot defenseman.
The contract is the punchline. Nemec carries a $918,333 cap hit, his entry-level deal expires after 2025-26, and he is headed to restricted free agency.
That is why the ask was steep. LeBrun said New Jersey wanted a young impact top-six forward, not a futures-only package.
Nemec has also produced this year, with 9-12-21 in 50 games, so the Devils are selling upside and NHL proof together.
"The Devils were absolutely listening on [Simon Nemec] ahead of the trade deadline. But the bar for what it would take to move him was high: a young, impact top-six forward; stay tuned for the offseason."
- Pierre LeBrun
- Pierre LeBrun
For Pittsburgh, the fit is easy to see. Nemec is a right-shot puck mover who could ease the long-term load on Kris Letang and help the breakout right away.
The money is not the problem for Kyle Dubas. Pittsburgh is sitting on roughly $10.37 million in projected cap space, with extra premium picks still stocked for future deals.
Simon Nemec would cost Pittsburgh real pain
Penguins fans will love the player and hate the invoice, because this is not a buy-low swing anymore.
Once the deadline passed, this became a summer market. That means Nemec is essentially available to every team willing to meet New Jersey's price, and Pittsburgh loses any clock-based edge.
So how do the Penguins get him. They probably need to start with a young forward New Jersey can project into its top-six, then add a pick or another sweetener.
Rutger McGroarty fits that kind of conversation. He is 21, Winnipeg drafted him 14th overall in 2022, and he is one of the few Penguins assets with top-six projection.
That is the strategic tension for Dubas. Nemec helps the blue line now, but paying the Devils' price could strip away the exact young scoring piece Pittsburgh still needs beside Sidney Crosby.
My read is simple, Pittsburgh can get in, but only with a real hockey trade. If Dubas calls this summer, New Jersey will want pain, not just draft-pick poetry.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 12|41 ANSWERS Summer trade market opens for Simon Nemec as Devils seek young top-six forward return Should Kyle Dubas trade for Simon Nemec this summer? | ||
| Yes | 18 | 43.9 % |
| No | 23 | 56.1 % |
| List of polls | ||